The present invention relates generally to handles, and more specifically to an exterior vehicle handle that includes an illumination device for improving nighttime visibility of the handle in a visually pleasing manner.
Two types of illuminated exterior vehicle handle configurations are well known. In a first type, a light source is included in the handle itself to illuminate the front of the handle, while in a second type only a backside of the handle is illuminated. In the second type, the light source may be embedded in the handle or in a door panel of the vehicle.
The above-mentioned configurations in which the light source is located in the handle limit the number and location of the light sources due to the limited space in the handle for positioning the light sources. Moreover, because the handle is a moving part and has an external force applied thereto, the combination of the handle and the light source must be structured to ensure dependable operation over a long period of time. Specifically with regard to the above mentioned first type of handle, such a configuration is typically considered not as visually pleasing as the second type because the light source is directly observable.
In the above mentioned second type of handle configuration in which only the backside of the handle is illuminated, the handle must be structured to include a cover to prevent the light source from directly emitting light from the front of the handle. As a result, the structure becomes more complicated and less visually pleasing because such a cover spoils the appearance of the handle. Also regarding the second type of handle configuration, when the light source is in or on the door panel of the vehicle, the illumination from the light source is required to have a well-equalized luminous intensity. The door panel must therefore be finished with a surface diffusion treatment for diffusing light from the light source. While the diffusion treatment may diffuse a portion of the light, an uneven distribution in the luminous intensity is evident on the surface of the door panel because the light source is typically a light emitting diode (LED) and therefore is a point source.